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Robby Fabbri

Atlantic Notes: Reinhart, Fabbri, Lauko, Klingberg

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Panthers forward Sam Reinhart is in the final season of his contract and is eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.  Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards examines how Florida might be able to keep the 28-year-old and still re-sign pending UFA blueliners Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling.  He suggests that an AAV of $8MM might be workable while re-upping the rearguards, leaving the team enough space to round out the roster with a bunch of minimum-salary players.  However, he has 166 points in 173 games with Florida, 17 of which have come in his 13 appearances this season and as someone who can play down the middle when needed, it’s quite possible that Reinhart’s open-market value could be higher than $8MM.  That said, Florida is a favorable tax environment which could also convince him to take a bit less than he would from another team.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Red Wings are expected to welcome back forward Robby Fabbri today from his lower-body injury, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link). The 27-year-old returned to the lineup on Tuesday but then missed Thursday’s contest with a lower-body issue.  Fabbri missed 54 games due to injury last season and has only been able to suit up twice so far this year.  With Austin Czarnik likely heading for injured reserve, Khan believes Detroit will be bringing a forward up in the coming days as well before they head out on their trip to Sweden.
  • The Bruins could get winger Jakub Lauko back tonight against Montreal, notes Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. The 23-year-old has missed the last couple of weeks after taking a skate near his left eye and suffering several bone fractures; understandably, he’ll be wearing a full cage if he plays tonight.  Lauko has been held without a point in his first six games this season after putting up four goals and three helpers in 23 games on Boston’s fourth line last year.
  • John Klingberg’s injury-related absence was a short one. After not playing last night, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the veteran blueliner will suit up tonight against Vancouver, taking Simon Benoit’s spot in the lineup.  It has been a rough start to Klingberg’s tenure with the Maple Leafs as the 31-year-old has just five assists in 13 games with some considerable struggles in his own end after being brought in to be a key offensive threat from the back end this summer.

Detroit Red Wings Activate Robby Fabbri Off IR

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As alluded to yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings have officially activated forward Robby Fabbri off of the injured reserve, and he will be in the lineup tonight as the team takes on the New York Rangers. Up to this point in the season, Fabbri has only played in the opening game of the year, missing the last 11 games with a lower-body injury.

In the second year of a three-year, $12MM contract extension signed with Detroit back in 2021, Fabbri has been an off-again on-again player for the Red Wings, losing plenty of games due to injuries. Throughout his career, Fabbri has primarily dealt with knee issues, losing significant time to ACL tears in the 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2021-22 regular seasons.

When healthy, Fabbri has been a solid complimentary piece for the Red Wings, scoring 49 goals and 47 assists in 167 games played over the last five seasons. However, his most successful stretch with Detroit came shortly after he was acquired from the St.Louis Blues, capping off the 2019-20 season with 14 goals and 17 assists in 52 games played.

During the team’s opening night game against the New Jersey Devils, Fabbri played on the second forward line next to J.T. Compher and Lucas Raymond, but with David Perron and Andrew Copp now taking over on the wings, it is reasonable to assume that Fabbri will be bumped down to the third line as he transitions back out onto the ice.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres, Panthers, Red Wings

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For the most part, the Buffalo Sabres have been dealing with some inconsistent goaltending to start the 2023-24 season. After the injury to goaltender Eric Comrie, the team has been rolling with a combination of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi, who have both played in five games on the year.

At still only 21 years old, much of Levi’s poor start could be attributed to growing pains, as he only has a 2-3-0 record, coupled with a .886 SV% and a 3.41 GAA. Luukkonen on the other hand has had incredible starts such as the one against the Colorado Avalanche on October 29th, earning a shutout against a solid offensive team. However, only two games later, Luukkonen would let in five goals on 19 shots against the Philadelphia Flyers, an offense that is not nearly as capable as Colorado’s.

To try and get more consistency out of his goaltenders, Lance Lysowksi of The Buffalo News reports that head coach Don Gronato is not keen on giving one starter a bulk of the starts, and will begin to rotate Levi and Luukkonen more regularly, in an attempt to create a hot hand in the net. This is largely the most logistical choice for the Sabres to make for the time being, as neither starter has shown the capacity to carry a majority of the load quite yet in their young careers.

Other notes:

  • Last week, it was reported that Florida Panthers’ defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour would be returning to practice in non-contact jerseys on Sunday, as both players are still recovering from shoulder surgery needed after the team’s run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. In an exciting update on their recovery process, Jameson Olive of the NHL reports that once the Panthers return from their West Coast road trip next week, there is a chance either one of them could appear in a game during that homestand. With a record of 5-4-1 to start the year, the team could certainly benefit from getting both of these defensemen back in the lineup.
  • The Detroit Red Wings announced that captain Dylan Larkin is questionable to play against the New York Rangers tomorrow night, and that forward Robby Fabbri will make his return to the lineup. Getting off to one of the hottest starts of his career, Larkin appeared to have an issue closing his right hand during the team’s recent game against the Boston Bruins, even leaving the bench for a short time. Ultimately, Larkin would return towards the end of the second period and scored the game-tying goal early in the third period.

Evening Notes: Oilers, Faksa, Fabbri

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Sam Gagner’s contract with the Edmonton Oilers has officially been registered today and the 34-year-old was called up by the team to their NHL roster (CapFriendly). The move coincided with winger Adam Erne clearing waivers and being assigned to the club’s AHL affiliate the Bakersfield Condors. Gagner will begin his third stint with the Oilers after missing the end of last season and training camp with a hip injury.

The former sixth overall pick played three AHL games last week picking up a goal and four assists while driving a lot of the offense for the Condors. The Oilers will be looking for him to provide depth scoring for a lineup that has appeared top-heavy this season. Gagner has been a solid offensive contributor throughout his career despite bouncing around the league to seven different teams during his 16-year NHL career.

For Erne, he returns to the AHL after going scoreless in six games for the Oilers this season. The 28-year-old split last season between the NHL and AHL in the Detroit Red Wings organization. He posted five points in nine AHL games last season while registering eight goals and 10 assists in 61 NHL games.

In other evening notes:

  • Dallas Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine is reporting that Stars forward Radek Faksa will miss tonight’s game with what is being described as an upper-body injury. Faksa skated with the team yesterday before leaving on their road trip and by all accounts seemed fine. No word yet on what has changed between then and now or any specifics on the ailment. Faksa is off to a slow start offensively this season with no points in seven games, however the Stars are off to a torrid 5-1-1 start thanks in part to Faksa’s penalty killing and defensive acumen.
  • Detroit Hockey Now writer Kevin Allen is reporting that Robby Fabbri of the Detroit Red Wings returned to practice today and could be coming off the injured reserve sooner rather than later. Fabbri is ahead of schedule according to Allen but will still miss the Red Wings next two games. The 27-year-old has dressed in just a single game this season and has one goal thus far. He has been sidelined with a lower-body issue but could return next week against the New York Rangers or Montreal Canadiens.

Robby Fabbri Out Four Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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The Detroit Red Wings have announced that forward Robby Fabbri will be out for four weeks with a lower-body injury. The team also clarified that this injury is not related to Fabbri’s knee, which is notable as Fabbri’s knee has been the cause of significant injury troubles in the past.

Fabbri has not appeared on the ice for the Red Wings since the team’s season-opening loss to the New Jersey Devils on October 12th. Fabbri’s absence was originally believed to only be for a single game, but seeing as Fabbri failed to return to the ice it seems that original projection may have been too optimistic.

Fabbri’s one game so far this season was spent on the Red Wings’ second line alongside Lucas Raymond and offseason signing J.T. Compher.

Although he only played in 28 games last season, Fabbri scored at a 47-point pace. There was some hope that the 27-year-old, who is making $4MM against the cap through 2024-25, would be in line for a potential career-best season on a top-six line with Compher and Raymond. The Red Wings will now have to wait to see if those hopes will end up materializing into actual production, though, as Fabbri will be out of commission into the middle of November.

As for how the Red Wings have fared in Fabbri’s absence, Derek Lalonde’s squad has collected three consecutive wins and has scored 16 goals in that span of time. While a healthy Fabbri would hardly have hurt the team’s offensive attack, the Red Wings look well-positioned to remain highly competitive despite losing Fabbri.

Snapshots: Dubois, Fabbri, Greaves

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In an article by Carter Brooks of The Hockey News, it was reported that the current head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, Rick Bowness, spent some time trying to convince Pierre-Luc Dubois to stay with the Jets long-term, but ultimately fell short of that goal. In the end, as he was publicly vocal about his desire to leave Winnipeg, the Jets would trade him to the Los Angeles Kings for a trio of forwards this past summer, and Dubois would sign an eight-year, $68MM extension in Los Angeles.

Included in the article was a quote from Bowness about the situation last year, saying, “I had no problem with ’Dubie. I talked to him an awful lot, spent a lot of time with him. I was trying to convince him to stay, but that wasn’t going to happen no matter what. I have no problem with Dubie at all. We had a very good rapport“. During the entirety of the Dubois saga in Winnipeg, it appeared on the outside as if there were internal struggles surrounding the team given Dubois’ attitude towards the organization, but the head coach seems to disagree with that narrative entirely.

Nevertheless, the Jets are making good on their end of the trade, as the forwards acquired, Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari have all scored a combined one goal and two assists in the team’s first two games of the season, while Dubois has yet to find the scoreboard for the winless Kings. Tonight, Dubois will make his first return to Winnipeg since the trade, in front of what is likely to be an extremely vocal crowd.

Other snapshots:

  • Seemingly losing game time to injury every season, Robby Fabbri of the Detroit Red Wings has already missed two games with an undisclosed injury early on this season. According to Ansan Khan of MLive, Fabbri shouldn’t be out too much longer, as the team is looking to have him back in the lineup this weekend as they take on the Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames. In the same report, Khan also noted that defenseman Jeff Petry is also expected to be back in the lineup tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but would not elaborate on what defenseman would sit in his place.
  • After being recalled to the Columbus Blue Jackets on an emergency basis yesterday morning, the team has announced they have returned goaltender Jet Greaves back to their AHL, the Cleveland Monsters. Greaves served as the backup option behind Spencer Martin last night against Detroit, giving regular starting netminder, Elvis Merzļikins, a bit more time to recover from a bout of the flu.

Red Wings Recall Zach Aston-Reese

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With Robby Fabbri set to miss tonight’s game against Tampa Bay, the Red Wings needed to bring up a forward.  They’ve decided that forward will be Zach Aston-Reese as the team announced that the winger has been recalled from AHL Grand Rapids.

The 29-year-old was able to turn a PTO into a guaranteed deal last season with Toronto, a move that worked out relatively well for him.  Aston-Reese set career highs in games played (77) and goals (10) in 2022-23 while recording 163 hits in what was predominantly a fourth line role.  He also suited up in six playoff contests, picking up a goal along with 16 more hits despite averaging less than nine minutes a night.

However, Aston-Reese once again had to go the PTO route for this season, getting one with Carolina a month ago today.  It wasn’t successful and he was cut earlier this month although he was able to rebound quickly, inking a two-way deal with Detroit last Sunday.  That move coincided with a waiver placement where he passed through unclaimed, resulting in him suiting up for the Griffins in their opener last night.

While Aston-Reese’s recall gives Detroit a dozen healthy forwards on the roster, don’t expect that to automatically mean that Aston-Reese will play tonight.  Instead, it appears as if they’ll go with seven defensemen, allowing Olli Maatta to make his season debut.  Fabbri, meanwhile, is listed as day-to-day and hasn’t been ruled out for Monday’s contest against Columbus.

Snapshots: Team Canada, Kings, Carolina Injuries, Fabbri

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Team Canada’s U20 roster has announced that Alan Letang will serve as the team’s head coach, while Pete Anholt and Brent Seabrook will serve in management roles.

TSN’s Gord Miller quips that Letang has been a “gold medal magnet” in recent years, leading Canada to gold at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup this August and serving as an assistant coach for the championship-winning Canadians at the 2020 and 2023 World Junior Championship. Pete Anholt has served as the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ general manager since 2015. He also served as a head coach in the WHL for 15 seasons between 1989 and 2007.

This will be Brent Seabrook’s first involvement with the Canada U20 team since he played for them in 2004 and 2005, appearing at the World Junior Championship in both years. Since his NHL career ended in 2019-20, Seabrook has served as an assistant and development coach with the Vancouver Giants.

Other notes from around the league:

Atlantic Notes: Krejci, Ekblad, Fabbri

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Speaking with reporters including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald after Friday’s victory, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery indicated that center David Krejci is 50/50 to play in Sunday’s fourth contest against the Panthers.  Krejci is dealing with an upper-body injury, meaning that Boston played last night without their top two middlemen with Patrice Bergeron not expected to make his series debut until Wednesday.  Krejci was an important secondary scorer for Boston this season with 16 goals and 40 assists, a solid return to the NHL after spending last season in Czechia and his return would certainly help a thinned-out center group.  However, he did not take part in today’s morning skate with a final answer on his availability not expected until tomorrow; he’s officially listed as questionable.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • After leaving last night’s game early with an injury, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad took part in an optional skate this morning, relays George Richards of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). Notably, he wasn’t wearing a no-contact sweater which suggests that he’ll be good to go on Sunday although he’s officially listed as a game-time decision.  Ekblad had a down year by his standards but still picked up 38 points in 71 games while logging over 23 minutes a night and is a key part of Florida’s back end.
  • Although Red Wings winger Robby Fabbri missed the final six weeks of the season after undergoing another knee surgery, he told MLive’s Ansar Khan that he would have been able to return had Detroit made the playoffs. This latest procedure was more of a cleanup instead of a full ACL reconstruction which means that the 27-year-old will have a full offseason to train and be ready for training camp in the fall.  Fabbri was limited to just 28 games this season but did fairly well when he was in the lineup, picking up seven goals and nine assists.

Nominees Announced For 2023 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association has voted on the award since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2023.

Past winners of the award include Carey Price (2022), Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), and Jaromir Jagr (2016).

Below are the nominees from each team:

Anaheim Ducks – Jakob Silfverberg

Arizona Coyotes – Clayton Keller

Boston Bruins – Nick Foligno

Buffalo Sabres – Craig Anderson

Calgary Flames – Mikael Backlund

Carolina Hurricanes – Jordan Martinook

Chicago Blackhawks – Alex Stalock

Colorado Avalanche – Andrew Cogliano

Columbus Blue Jackets – Boone Jenner

Dallas Stars – Jamie Benn

Detroit Red Wings – Robby Fabbri

Edmonton Oilers – Derek Ryan

Florida Panthers – Patric Hornqvist

Los Angeles Kings – Pheonix Copley

Minnesota Wild – Mason Shaw

Montreal Canadiens – Alex Belzile

Nashville Predators – Cody Glass

New Jersey Devils – Dougie Hamilton

New York Islanders – Zach Parise

New York Rangers – Jimmy Vesey

Ottawa Senators – Derick Brassard

Philadelphia Flyers – Nick Seeler

Pittsburgh Penguins – Kris Letang

San Jose Sharks – Nikolai Knyzhov

Seattle Kraken – Brandon Tanev

St. Louis Blues – Sammy Blais

Tampa Bay Lightning – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Toronto Maple Leafs – Mark Giordano

Vancouver Canucks – Brock Boeser

Vegas Golden Knights – Phil Kessel

Washington Capitals – John Carlson

Winnipeg Jets – Sam Gagner

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